IMPORTANT: ALL documents must be issued within
Go to the photo studios in the malls
3 months of the date of application. Additional if
you have an invitation:
Personally invited by a Korean : Invitation
Letter & Copy of invitors Passport
Invited by Company in Korea: Invitation
Letter & Copy of Korean Company
Business Permit
If youre NOT under the Employee category,
please check the requirements in the Korean
Embassy website.
1. APPLICATION FORM
- Completely fill up the printed latest application
form that you can download from the Korean
Embassy website.
- Before filling up the form, read the instructions in
page 2 carefully.
- Avoid erasures; keep your application form neat
and presentable. If it helps, use a pencil first to
lightly write on the form, then when youre sure
that everything is correct and complete, write
over them with a pen and carefully erase the
pencil marks.
- Your employers contact number is important.
Just to be sure, if your HR department has more
than 1 contact number, write them down as well.
- If you dont have a place to stay yet in Korea,
write undecided for Address in Korea and Phone
No in Korea.
- For Purpose of Entry, if youre going to Korea for
a vacation, then write down tour or vacation.
- If youll be paying for your own expenses in
Korea, write myself in Who Will Pay For The
Expense For Your Stay?
- For Potential Length of Stay and Potential Date
of Entry, make sure that your dates of travel to
Korea are within 3 months of your application,
because a single entry visa is only valid for 3
months upon the date of issue.
- Dont leave any items blank, put N/A instead.
- Dont forget to sign your form and put the date
of submission.
2. 1-PC PASSPORT SIZE COLORED PICTURE
- Unless youre really good looking, please, dont
get your picture taken in one of those dingy rush
ID places.
where they will make sure that you look
respectable, educated, and financially capable
to be a tourist in Korea. They will even have you
wear a black blazer and fix your hair.
- For the background, anything will do, but white is
a safe bet.
- You dont have to look serious, you can smile a
bit. Glue this photo on the application form in
the upper left, as indicated.
3. ORIGINAL PASSPORT (AND YOUR OLD
PASSPORTS IF YOUVE RENEWED)
- Make sure that your passport is valid for at least 6
months
- Upon claiming your visa, they will only give back
your passport with the visa in one of the pages.
4. PHOTOCOPY OF PASSPORT
- A clear photocopy of your passports page 2,
the one with all your information and photo.
5. ORIGINAL AND PHOTOCOPY OF VALID VISA/S
AND ARRIVAL STAMPS TO OECD MEMBER
COUNTRIES FOR THE PAST 5 YEARS
- See the list of OECD member countries here.
- If youve been to Korea in the last 5 years, that
doesnt count.
- Dont bother providing a photocopy of the
arrival stamps in your passport (OECD member or
not), the consul will just give it back to you.
6. ORIGINAL CERTIFICATE OF EMPLOYMENT
- You can ask your HR department for this.
- Request for one at least a week or a few days
before you submit your application, the date of
issue matters.
- Specify with your HR that it needs to have the
following:
Date of Issue
Company address
Employers valid contact number/s
(preferably direct landlines to your HR
manager since the embassy will call
him/her for verification of your
employment, cell phone numbers are
NOT allowed) and email address
Your job title/position in the company
 Your monthly salary
Date hired and how long youve been
with the company
Your travel dates and purpose of travel
Address it to:
Embassy of the Republic of Korea in the
Republic of the Philippines
122 Upper McKinley Road, McKinley Town
Center, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig city 1634,
Philippines
- The embassy will call your employer/HR manager
within a day or two with the numbers you
provided. It is highly important that they speak
with someone in your company to prove that
youre currently employed and you have regular
income.
7. ORIGINAL PERSONAL BANK CERTIFICATE
- This is NOT the same with a bank statement.
- A personal bank certificate is a 1-page
document that certifies that you have XXX
amount of money in your personal bank account.
- You can request for this at the branch where you
opened your bank account. What should be
included in your Personal Bank Certificate
according to the new rules:
1. Account type
2. Current balance
3. Account opening date
4. 6 months average balance (ADB)
- You will need to pay a processing fee of P100 for
this at the bank. In BPI Family Savings Bank, I got
my personal bank certificate in just a few minutes,
while at BDO, you will only get it the day after
(both based on my own experience).
- How much do you need in your bank account?
There isnt really an official amount cited by the
Korean Embassy. But in my experience, it depends
on how long youre going to stay in Korea. If youll
just be there for 5-7 days like me, having at least
P50,000 in your account will do.
8. ORIGINAL OR CERTIFIED TRUE COPY OF BANK
STATEMENT/PASSBOOK FOR THE LAST 3 MONTHS
- You can request for this at the branch where you
opened your bank account, like your Personal
Bank Certificate
9. PHOTOCOPY OF INCOME TAX RETURN (ITR) OR
FORM 2316
- You can request this from your employer as well
It must have your personal TIN number
- If youre applying from January-April 14 (or
before the deadline of filing taxes), you can
submit your ITR from last year.
- Take note that you only need to submit a
photocopy.
- If youre a recent graduate but employed and
dont have an ITR yet, just tell it to the consul
when you submit your application. They will see
how long youve been in the company anyway in
your COE.
ADDITIONAL TIPS TO INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF
GETTING APPROVED:
- Only submit the documents listed as
requirements. You dont need to include your
plane tickets, itinerary, and confirmation of
booking of your South Korea
hotel/accommodation. - Arrange your
documents in the order as listed above.
- Submit your applications a month before your
trip, just in case there will be delays in the
releasing of your visa (yes, it happens! more on
that later).
FAQs
SUBMISSION/RELEASE OF KOREAN VISA
1. How much do I need to pay for a South Korean
Visa?
-You dont have to pay for anything IF you will
stay in Korea for 59 days or less.
- For those who will stay there for 60-90 days, you
will need to pay P1,800.
2. Do I need to hire an agency to process my
application?
- This is not required. You can process your
application on your own.
3. Can a representative of our group submit and
claim for us?
Yes. One person can submit multiple applications
and claim multiple visas.
4. How long do I need to wait to claim my visa?
You can claim your visa after 5 days, if you do not
have OECD member visa/s. If you do have OECD
member visa/s, its only 3 working days. Upon
submitting your application, the consul will give
you a claim stub with the date of release.
5. What time do I need to submit my application?
What time do I claim it?
Submission of application 9-11 AM; Mon-Fri
Claiming of visa 2-4 PM; Mon-Fri
We suggest you go to the embassy a few hours
before the official time the submission/claiming
begins. You will be handed a number; they
accommodate people on a first come first serve
basis.
6. Do I need to bring anything else when I go to
the Korean Embassy?
Just your complete requirements and a valid ID
for registration.
7. What is the address of the Korean Embassy?
122 Upper McKinley Road, McKinley Town Center,
Fort Bonifacio, Taguig city 1634, Philippines
8. Do I need to personally come to the embassy
and fall in line if I have questions?
If you have any clarifications regarding your
application, you can call the embassy at (63-2)
856-9210.
APPROVED/DENIED KOREAN VISA
1. This is my first time to travel abroad and my first
time to apply for a visa, will I get denied?
The first time I applied for a Korean visa, it was also
my first time abroad and my first visa application. I
got approved. Beep the Hobo, who has never
traveled abroad, also applied for the first time for
our trip last month, he got approved as well.
2. I just graduated but Im employed. I dont have
an ITR yet, will I get denied? One of our
companions in the last Korea trip was in the exact
situation, she was issued a visa.
3. Does the embassy immediately deny
applications?
In our experience, they dont. If they cant
contact your employer for example, they will ask
you for an alternative number and delay the
release of your visa to 2-3 days. One of our
companions had her visa release delayed for 3
times, she kept on coming back to the embassy
to provide them with her employers contact
information, and she was eventually issued a visa.
4. What are the reasons the embassy denies a visa
application?
As indicated in their website, the Korean Embassy
can deny your application if:
- Your passport is invalid.
- You are prohibited to enter Korea as per Korean
Immigration law no.11 sec. 1 (Prohibition of Entry).
- Their record shows that you have previously
violated the Korean law.
- You failed to submit the required document
completely.
- The documents you have submitted cannot be
verified.
- You failed to prove the purpose of entry to
Korea.
- You failed to prove strong economic and family
ties to the home country.
- Your inviter is not qualified to invite you.
- You failed to prove the relationship with your
inviter.
5. If my visa application is denied, how long do I
have to wait to reapply?
6 months. ouch. :(
Pass all the specified requirements to the Office of
South Korean Consulate General in Cebu City
from 9:00AM 11:00AM (Mon-Fri, closed on
holidays) located at
12th Floor Chinabank Corporate Center
Lot 2, Samar Loop Cor. 5
Cebu Business Park, Mabolo Cebu City
A slip will be given to you after passing all the
requirements containing the date when to pick
up your passport. Claiming is from 2:00PM -4:00PM
(Mon-Fri, closed on holidays) at the Office of
South Korean Consulate General in Cebu City.
Usually the processing time is 3 working days for
those who have been to OECD member countries
within 5 years as tourist; and 5 working days for
those who have not been to OECD member
countries within 5 years.
For inquiries and questions, you may phone them
at these digits:
(63-32) 231-1516, 231-1517, 231-1518 and 231-
1519.